Authors: Louann A. Bierlein, Louann Bierlein Palmer
ISBN-13: 9780803948334, ISBN-10: 0803948336
Format: Paperback
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Date Published: November 1992
Edition: 1st Edition
Current debates in education--parental choice, decentralization, accountability, schools as social-center hubs, desegregation, bilingual education, the role of business, and school financing--are discussed in this outstanding volume. For each issue, Louann Bierlein examines tensions among conflicting ideals of conservatism and liberalism and tensions among the basic societal values of equity, liberty, efficiency, and excellence. The basic structure of schooling is reviewed as are the multiple lines of control. In addition, she provides an historical framework, beginning with the conscious choice by our forefathers to make education a state responsibility and ending with current discussions regarding national standards and testing as part of the America 2000 efforts. Rather than offering a single viewpoint, Bierlein draws upon the work of numerous educational scholars and political scientists representing both strong reform advocates and critics. Providing multiple sides to each topic, she equips readers--whether policy makers or students--with a foundation necessary to carefully analyze the debates.
Acknowledgments | ||
Series Editors' Introduction | ||
1 | The American Educational System: How Has It Come to Be? | 1 |
Everyone Is an Expert | 1 | |
Values and Ideologies in Conflict | 3 | |
Historical Origins | 5 | |
In Review | 13 | |
2 | Who Is in Charge and How Equal Are We? | 16 |
Levels of Educational Control | 16 | |
School Financing - The Great Equity Debate | 27 | |
In Summary | 34 | |
3 | What's Wrong With the Way Educational System is Organized | 36 |
Restructuring Defined | 39 | |
The Rise of Centralization and the "Educational Bureaucracy" | 40 | |
A New Awareness | 43 | |
What Does a Restructured System Look Like? | 44 | |
Why the Debate? | 48 | |
Moving Ahead | 56 | |
4 | How Can We Hold the System Accountable? | 58 |
National and State Goal Setting | 60 | |
National Standards and Assessments | 61 | |
The Debate on Testing | 64 | |
Teacher and School Rewards and Sanctions | 75 | |
Student/Parent Rewards and Sanctions | 82 | |
Educational Warranties | 87 | |
Can Accountability Be Achieved? | 88 | |
5 | What's the Big Deal About Choice? | 90 |
Choice Defined | 91 | |
Historical Review | 93 | |
Choice Activities During the Past Decade | 95 | |
Specific Choice Programs | 97 | |
Choice - An Idea With Lots of Appeal | 102 | |
Specific Aspects of the Debate | 105 | |
Summary Snapshot of the Debate | 119 | |
The Future | 120 | |
A Clash of Basic Values and Freedoms | 122 | |
6 | Can Schools Do It All? | 125 |
The Bilingual Education Debate | 127 | |
Desegregation and Busing | 135 | |
Disadvantaged Youth | 140 | |
Can Schools Do It All? | 144 | |
7 | What Is the Future of the U.S. Educational System? | 146 |
Current National Activities | 146 | |
A Vision | 149 | |
A Dream? | 151 | |
References | 154 | |
Index | 161 | |
About the Author | 168 |